Maryland’s trip to Nebraska turned into another long afternoon, and the final score told the same story as the bigger trend. The Terps fell 48-23 on Saturday, their 10th straight Big Ten loss, and a game that once looked manageable spun away fast after an 81-yard pick-six sparked a 34-0 Nebraska run to finish it off.
For a Maryland team that opened with some life, the collapse was driven by the same problems that have been hanging around for weeks: third-down failures, a front that couldn’t consistently disrupt the quarterback, and an offense still trying to find any real balance.
The biggest red flag may be the third-down number. Maryland went just 1 for 14 on Saturday, and that followed a 1-for-16 showing against UCLA the week before.
Over the last two games, the Terps are 2 of 30 on third down. That kind of drought makes it nearly impossible to stay on schedule, especially when the passing game isn’t threatening defenses vertically.
A lot of that burden lands on Malik Washington, and the issue is that Maryland simply hasn’t been stretching the field. Without splash plays, third downs have become a grind, and too often the Terps have been left with safe throws or plays that never had a chance to move the chains.
In some cases, Washington just ran out of bounds. When drives keep dying, the defense keeps getting shoved back onto the field, and that wears on a unit that has already shown signs of breaking late in games.
That defensive wear-and-tear showed up again in Lincoln, and the front seven didn’t do enough to change the script. The Terps came into the season with a defensive line group that was supposed to be a strength, but the production hasn’t matched the hype once conference play got real.
Against Nebraska, Maryland got limited pressure on Anthony Colandrea, who had plenty of time to work. CJ Smith and Joel Starlings each recorded a sack, but the bigger names in the rotation - ZIon Elee, Sidney Stewart, Eyan Thomas, the Parker twins, and Derrick LeBlanc - combined for just 1 TFL.
Maryland was also missing Lavon Johnson and Bryce Jenkins, which thinned out the group even more. Still, the standard has to be higher.
Colandrea’s mobility mattered, but 108 rushing yards from the quarterback is also a product of missed tackles in the backfield. At this point, the front has to start turning flashes into consistent disruption.
There was at least one encouraging sign on offense: the run game showed some pulse with Dejuan Williams back in the mix. Maryland had managed only 39 rushing yards last week, but Williams gave the Terps a lift with 78 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
His 56-yard burst in the second quarter helped inflate the total, but that kind of explosive run is exactly why his return matters. Iverson Howard also added a strong day, averaging 11.3 yards per carry.
Even so, the Terps didn’t get much from Malik Washington as a runner. He finished with 16 net rushing yards on 10 carries, tying Williams for the team lead in attempts.
Maryland kept leaning on quarterback runs and designed keepers that weren’t producing much, and Washington didn’t look especially comfortable doing it. His running form looked stiff, and the burst wasn’t there.
It was notable that the staff kept going back to him on the ground when the backs were finding more success.
That was part of the frustration on a day when the ground game showed signs of life but the passing attack faded badly in the second half. Washington has now put together his two worst games in a Maryland uniform after two strong weeks, and the regression has been obvious. There’s still time to get him back on track, but the legs don’t look like the answer right now.
In Other News...
Maryland Collapse Puts Mike Locksley Questions Back In Focus
Maryland had a chance to build on a promising start against Nebraska, and for a while it looked like the Terps were answering some of the familiar complaints about this team. The offense and defense both showed more life than they had in recent weeks, enough to suggest the game could become a turning point if Maryland could keep the pressure on and avoid the kind of late letdown that has tripped it up before.
Instead, Nebraska seized control after Dwayne McDougle IIIs interception return swung the momentum, and the Huskers rolled from there with 34 unanswered points. The collapse only sharpened the larger concern around Maryland, which has repeatedly been outscored in the fourth quarter, and it put Mike Locksleys future back into the conversation as the season wears on and the questions around the program keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Let Nebraska Flip This Game In A Brutal Second Half
Maryland had enough early success to keep things interesting, but the game changed fast once Nebraska settled in on defense after halftime. The Terrapins were held to just 95 yards after the break and never found the end zone again, a sharp turnaround for a Nebraska defense that also forced three turnovers and steadily tightened its grip on the game.
The swing really started before halftime, when defensive back Dwayne McDougle turned an interception into a pick-six that gave Nebraska a lead it would not give back. Even with some missed tackles along the way, the Cornhuskers closed it out and moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2016, another sign that this start is looking a little more real by the week. [Read more 🡒]
Pharrel Payne Just Raised The Pressure On Marylands New-Look Roster
Pharrel Payne is back in the spotlight before Maryland has even tipped off its new season. The veteran big man was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team by the league office, a recognition that underscores how much the Terrapins are counting on him after he missed most of last season because of injury. Now entering his fifth year, Payne is expected to be one of the anchors for a roster that has been reshaped around him.
Marylands lineup will look different this fall, with several new faces joining the mix and an early schedule that will start revealing how quickly the pieces fit together. The preseason honor only adds to the attention around Payne and the pressure on the Terrapins, who also have ticket sales underway as interest builds for what could be one of the more closely watched seasons in the Big Ten. [Read more 🡒]